Mothers When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired

When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired begins on an almost unbelievably delicate note, with the plucked acoustic guitar and melancholy strings of "Too Small For Eyes." Kristine Leschper's lilting warble, though, is Mothers' most compelling instrument: at every breathy height it reaches, it gains more emotional power, lonesome and dripping, so often, with despair. But the Athens, Georgia-based band's debut isn't a completely melancholy affair; the album picks things up with "It Hurts Until It Doesn't," a head-nodding roller that changes energy drastically for a finishing crescendo.

The rest of the album is a bit mixed. With most songs in the five-and-a-half minute range, the musical arrangements — while consistently beautiful — aren't always as sonically engaging as Leschper's softly emotive vocals. The bouncy sway of "Lockjaw" solves that problem with a little overdrive muscle, and the spooky, dreamy darkness of "Burden Of Proof" adds another layer of dynamism, with a web of strings and bells that conjures visions of Gothic horror. "Hold Your Own Hand" combines all of Mothers' greatest strengths for a glittering closer, rising slowly to a frenetic final minute of blissful baroque-pop noise. (Wichita)